Coconut Cream Cheese Pound Cake (Moist Southern Pound Cake Recipe)
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This Coconut Cream Cheese Pound Cake is rich, buttery, moist, and packed with sweet coconut flavor in every bite. Made with cream cheese for a soft texture and tender crumb, this homemade pound cake has the classic dense texture people love with a tropical coconut twist.
The combination of butter, cream cheese, and coconut creates a cake that stays moist for days and tastes even better after resting overnight.
Whether served for holidays, brunch, potlucks, Easter, or family gatherings, this Southern-style coconut pound cake is an easy dessert that always impresses.
My classic Southern pound cake recipes are always a hit, whichever one you choose to make.
Why Cream Cheese Makes Pound Cake Better
Many bakers prefer cream cheese pound cake because it stays fresh longer and has a smoother texture.
Cream cheese helps create a rich pound cake with a softer texture and more moisture than traditional pound cakes. Because cream cheese contains fat and moisture, it creates a tender crumb while still keeping the dense texture pound cake is known for.
What Gives Coconut Pound Cake So Much Flavor?
Coconut adds sweetness, texture, and a light tropical flavor that pairs beautifully with buttery pound cake. Shredded coconut helps add texture, while coconut extract can deepen the flavor even more.
Coconut on top adds crunch and extra coconut aroma.
Tips for the Best Coconut Cream Cheese Pound Cake
Perfectly sweet and supremely moist Coconut Cream Cheese Pound Cake starts with a basic Cream Cheese Pound Cake recipe. To this, I added coconut extract, almond extract, and flaked coconut. I didn’t want large pieces of coconut in the cake. Therefore, I pulsed the flaked coconut in a food processor until it was ground fine. (about .5 centimeters in length for lack of a better example)
Use room temperature ingredients
Room temperature butter, eggs, and cream cheese blend more smoothly.
Don’t rush creaming the butter and sugar
Proper creaming helps create better structure and texture.
Avoid overmixing
Overmixing can make pound cake tough instead of tender.
Use full-fat cream cheese
Full-fat cream cheese gives the richest flavor and best texture.
Let the cake cool fully
Pound cake slices more cleanly after cooling completely.
Why Does Pound Cake Crack on Top?
A crack on top is actually normal for old-fashioned pound cake recipes. Thick batters and long baking times naturally create a split as the cake rises in the oven.
Many bakers consider the crack a signature characteristic of homemade pound cake.
What to Serve with Coconut Pound Cake
I sprinkle confectioners’ sugar over the top. I then served the Pound Cake with fresh berries and whipped cream. Southern pound cake pairs well with any of these:
- fresh fruit dessert recipes
- strawberry sauce
- lemon sauce
- blueberry sauce
- whipped cream
- Cream Cheese Glaze
- coffee
- vanilla ice cream
- pineapple topping
- caramel sauce
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. Wrap tightly and freeze for up to 3 months.
Store tightly covered at room temperature and avoid overbaking.
Yes. Sweetened shredded coconut works well in pound cake recipes.
Dry pound cake is usually caused by overbaking or too much flour.
No, I didn’t. One important note: traditional pound cakes did not contain baking powder or baking soda. They were leavened simply with eggs. Baking powder and baking soda change the texture (crumb) of cakes and inhibit the formation of that nice crunchy ‘crust’ that is so desirable on pound cakes.
Enjoy more homemade pound cake recipes and easy Southern desserts. Also, I do recommend you read How to Bake the Perfect Pound Cake and How to Calibrate your Oven to get the very best results for your pound cake baking.
Pound Cake Baking Tips
- Brands I recommend: Philadelphia cream cheese, Crisco solid vegetable shortening, and White Lily or Martha White flour. Pans and more recommendations here.
- I have found solid vegetable shortening and sugar instead of flour to be the best for coating the pan to prevent sticking. By using sugar instead of flour, you won’t have white patches on the cake. You can use flour if you prefer.
- If you use a bundt pan instead of a tube pan, make sure it’s a taller bundt, about 5 inches tall.
Pan Information
I bake my pound cakes on a cookie sheet. Setting the pan on a cookie sheet may affect the baking time. Also, using a light versus a dark tube pan will affect baking times. For the record, I bake my pound cakes in a dark-colored
Your
I’m not a fan of using a non-stick spray for pound cakes. Some of the sides always stick pulling off that crust that I worked so hard to create. Instead, I like to use solid vegetable shortening and follow that with a dusting of granulated sugar. (Yes, sugar. Sugar doesn’t leave any white areas on the cake.) Alternately, I like the Wilton cake release. (When I started this pound cake series, I did use non-stick spray. However, after making so many and trying other methods, I do not use non-stick spray for cakes now. I have tried to go back and update those posts, but may have missed some.)
Coconut Cream Cheese Pound Cake
Items in blue & underlined below can be clicked for more detail or to purchase.
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter room temperature, salted or unsalted, your preference
- ½ cup Crisco shortening
- 3 cups granulated sugar
- 3 cups all-purpose flour sifted and measured correctly
- 1, 8 ounce package cream cheese (low or fat-free not recommended)
- 1 tablespoon coconut extract
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
- 6 extra large eggs or 7 large eggs
- 1 cup sweetened coconut flakes sweetened, pulsed 4 to 5 times in a food processor
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325°F. Grease a (10-inch, 12 cup) bundt or tube pan with solid vegetable shortening and sprinkle with sugar (or you can use flour). Alternatively, you can use Wilton Cake Release.
- In the bowl of your stand mixer beat butter, shortening, and sugar together. Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides. Next, add the cream cheese and blend until fluffy. Again stop the mixer and scrape down the sides.
- Add eggs alternately with flour, beginning and ending with flour. Scrape down the sides.
- Blend in the coconut and almond extracts.
- Stir in coconut.
- Pour into prepared baking pan.
- Place pan on a baking sheet and bake at 325 degrees for 85 to 90 minutes. Test cake with a wooden pick or skewer. Cake is done when dry crumbs or no crumbs come out on pick when inserted into the thickest part of the cake.
- Cool on a wire rack 20 minutes before inverting on serving tray.
- Frost, if desired, and serve.*See posts for details
Notes
Nutrition
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I am planning on making this cake later today or tomorrow… can someone clarify if you use 3c of sifted flour or 3c flour then sift. Also what is meant by measured correctly?
Always sift then measure flour. If you’ll click on ‘measured correctly’ it’ll take you to my post on how to measure flour.
Thanks for confirming … I wanted to ensure that I wasn’t adding too much flour. I saw some comments that flour was not sifted
Do yon have suggestions for icing?
I would do a simple glaze like this, you add coconut extract https://www.callmepmc.com/coffee-cake-pound-cake-recipe/
This is a great cake! I used 1/2 cup of sugar an 1&1/2 cups of stevia, (health restrictions) and that’s all I changed.
This is a real treat though!!!
We are having it as our Christmas dessert with whipped cream and strawberries!
It was done in half the time because I used a small Bundt pan and used the remainder of the batter in a small loaf pan and 2 cupcakes…we HAD to for quality control purposes ya know,?!?😂
Next!!!
I thought it was excellent. Very moist. Maybe cut back a little on the almond flavor. I will make it again. Next time I will cut the recipe in half and use just one regular pound cake pan. Since it is a lot for just two people.
How about making the full recipe and wrapping the second loaf for the freezer. Just a thought. 😉
Saw this recipe and I want to try it! Everyone in my family loves coconut! However, we have Celiac Disease and need to eat gluten free. Has anyone tried this recipe with a gluten free baking mix? Just thought I would ask. I have a really excellent product that can be substituted cup for cup into a recipe instead of flour.
I really keep meaning to test this with gluten-free flour just haven’t yet. Melanie, please let me know what you use and how it turns out.
Hi Paula, I just finished plating the gluten free version of your Coconut Cream Cheese Pound Cake. It looks wonderful. I used all of your hints for measuring and mixing and the cake is just perfect. I haven’t tasted yet because I have to take it to a gathering but for gluten free it is usually about how it will bake instead of flavor. It has the nice crunch around it as well. I also used the sugar with the shortening for the coating and it came right out. I used Cup4Cup Multi Purpose Flour Gluten Free. My daughter gave me this and said all her favorite gf places in Nashville used it. For sweets as well as pizza dough etc. I wish I could send a picture! I will try to send one more reply after we taste it and how the crumb is. Thanks!
Great info!! Thank you so much!! I’d love to see it if you want to email me at callmepmc@gmail.com. Don’t trouble yourself to send it though. Thank you so much for all the info!
I always use GFJules. BEST FLOUR. I’ve tried em all. I love baking. When I found this flour it changed life. I’ve always said my favorite food group is Cake. Celiac stopped me for awhile until this flour. No I get no money for this, I just like to tell others who may have celiac. We want goodies too. 😄
Thank you!
I was anxious to try and so glad I did! Delicious, moist and so coconutty!
Can this be baked in a 9×12 pan
yes 9×13-inch. Here’s my text for a pound cake in a 9×13-inch pan. https://www.callmepmc.com/can-i-bake-a-pound-cake-in-a-9×13-inch-pan/
I made this tonight and the taste is great; however, the top crust really pulled away from the cake. The cake seemed to shrink down away from the crust as it cooled after taking out of the oven. Any suggestions on what I did wrong??
This is very common for pound cakes made with cream cheese, sour cream and heavy whipping cream.
I am not sure about the science behind it, but this type usually “crust up” pretty good.
Also,I prefer to use bundt pans with this type cake. So when you flip it out, all the PERFECT imperfections are on the cake platter. 🙂
Tara
I am making this today for a birthday. Sounds so delicious. Should this cake be stored in refrigerator?
It doesn’t have to be refrigerated.
lOOKS SO GOOD. GOING TO TRY IT.
THANKS.